A Legacy Still in Motion

The Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation’s Enduring Impact in the Equality State

By Chester Moore

At first light, a Rocky Mountain bighorn ewe stands motionless on a narrow limestone rim above Wyoming’s interior, a lamb pressed close at her side. Wind moves steadily across the slope, but she does not rush. She studies the country below, pausing at the same break in the rock before stepping onto a descent she has clearly used before. When she finally moves, the lamb follows without hesitation, hooves landing where the ewe’s have worn shallow depressions into the slope. They cross the face of the hillside slowly, stopping where she stops, waiting where she waits, using a route shaped by repetition rather than chance.

For wild sheep, survival depends on decisions made deliberately and reinforced over time. Knowledge of the landscape is passed quietly, one step at a time.

The Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation (Wyoming WSF) was formed in 1983 with a clear purpose of conserving wild sheep and making way for scenes like that to play out for generations to come. What began as a small group of hunter-conservationists raising funds and volunteering their time has grown into one of North America’s most influential state wild sheep organizations. Today, the chapter’s impact is seen in restored habitat, stabilized herds, funded research, mentored youth, and long-term management shaped through ongoing involvement.

According to Katie Cheesebrough, that focus has always been about what happens where sheep actually live. “Wild sheep don’t respond to talking points,” said Cheesebrough, the organization’s executive director. “They respond to what’s happening on the ground—habitat quality, connectivity, disease pressure. That’s where the work has to happen.”

From the beginning, the organization positioned itself as a partner rather than an outside voice. Early members worked closely with Wyoming Game and Fish biologists, volunteered labor on habitat projects, and stepped in to fund projects when agency budgets fell short. That cooperative model became a defining trait of the chapter and remains central today.

Bighorn ewe be transported by helicopter sling

Bighorn Sheep Helicopter transport. Photo: Amy Anderson

Bralli Clifford, a board member of both the Wyoming WSF and the national Wild Sheep Foundation, sees that approach as essential to the chapter’s long-term relevance. “If you want wild sheep to persist in Wyoming, you can’t work in isolation,” Clifford said. “You have to think beyond individual projects and look at the whole landscape and who’s using it, how it’s changing, and how we move forward together.”

Grant-in-Aid funding became the chapter’s main way to act. The program shifted from one-time efforts to long-term investments, selecting projects by biological need, durability, and ability to strengthen systems, not just sites. “That’s where discipline matters,” Cheesebrough said. “We’re not just asking if a project sounds good this year. We’re asking whether it still makes sense ten years from now.”

Transporting Wyoming bighorns by helicopter

Bighorn sheep relocation in Wyoming.
Photo: Amy Anderson

Habitat First: Defending the Core

Habitat has become the largest single investment category for Wyoming WSF, accounting for roughly a third of the chapter’s budget. That emphasis reflects a growing recognition that even the best disease management strategies cannot succeed without healthy, resilient landscapes.

“In the end, everything comes back to habitat,” Cheesebrough said. “If the landscape isn’t functioning, nothing else we do is going to hold.”

Invasive cheatgrass now poses a major threat to Wyoming’s sagebrush ecosystems. Warmer winters and frequent disturbance have allowed it to move higher, changing fire cycles, boosting wildfire intensity, and replacing diverse native plants with monocultures of little use to wild sheep. Clifford views that threat through a longer lens. “We’re still in a position where we can protect some of Wyoming’s best remaining landscapes,” she said. “But that window doesn’t stay open forever. If we don’t act early, we end up trying to fix things after they’ve already unraveled.”

Wyoming WSF has taken a proactive stance, funding aerial cheatgrass treatments with Indaziflam, a newer herbicide that provides longer-lasting control while minimizing impacts on native shrubs. The goal, as Cheesebrough describes it, is defending the core, protecting Wyoming’s still-intact sagebrush systems before they resemble degraded landscapes elsewhere in the West. Prescribed fire supports this effort. GPS collar data before and after major burns track sheep use of the new habitat and highlight where invasive grasses threaten. “In places where the habitat response is right, sheep will use it,” Cheesebrough said. “The data shows us that. But it also shows us where follow-up work is critical.”

Science on the Move

Research and monitoring are a major part of Wyoming WSF’s work, especially GPS collaring studies. These collars have revolutionized wild sheep management by providing real-time insights on movements, habitat use, and responses to natural and human-caused change.

“Collars give us answers we simply didn’t have before,” Cheesebrough said. “They help us understand not just where sheep are, but why they’re there and what might put them at risk.”

Beyond basic location data, collars identify migration corridors, detect forays into high-risk areas, and trigger mortality signals that alert biologists to predation events or disease outbreaks. That information helps managers prioritize habitat projects, adjust harvest strategies, and respond quickly when problems arise. Disease research remains a critical focus, particularly respiratory disease events that have historically devastated bighorn populations. Wyoming WSF has supported sampling, long-term monitoring, and nutrition studies that allow managers to identify patterns rather than react only to symptoms.

Herd Success

The Ferris–Seminoe herd stands as one of Wyoming’s notable wild sheep conservation success stories, reflecting decades of careful planning, disease prevention, and science-based management rather than a single project or moment. “That herd represents what’s possible when patience and science align,” Cheesebrough said. “It didn’t happen quickly, and it didn’t happen by accident.”

Ferris–Seminoe was established through deliberate translocation efforts and intensive monitoring, guided by a long-term commitment to suitable habitat and disease prevention. From the beginning, managers treated the herd as a system that would require continued oversight as it grew and interacted with surrounding landscapes. Translocation has played a role in Wyoming’s broader wild sheep recovery, but it has never been treated as a shortcut. Wyoming WSF has supported translocation efforts where biological conditions, habitat quality, and long-term management capacity aligned, recognizing that moving animals is only the beginning of a much longer commitment.

Success depends not on the act of release, but on sustained habitat protection, disease prevention, and monitoring long after sheep leave the trailer.

As the Ferris–Seminoe population expanded, new challenges followed. Young rams began dispersing farther across the landscape, increasing the risk of contact with herds carrying disease. Protecting the herd’s health while allowing it to function naturally has required continued discipline and data-driven decision-making—an acknowledgment that conservation success does not mark an endpoint, but a new phase of responsibility.
Wyoming is also home to several core native bighorn sheep herds, including the famed Whiskey Mountain population. These herds have never been augmented or reintroduced, retaining genetic lineages shaped entirely by natural selection and long-term adaptation to Wyoming’s landscapes.

“These herds carry value you can’t replace,” Clifford said. “Once they’re gone, they’re gone. Protecting them is foundational.”

Core native herds occupy a unique place in Wyoming’s wild sheep conservation framework. Their importance extends beyond population numbers, representing continuity across generations and landscapes that have never been rebuilt or supplemented through human intervention. Whiskey Mountain is designated as a core native herd under Wyoming’s collaborative management framework, the Wyoming Plan. That status places it at the highest level of conservation priority when conflicts arise between wild sheep and domestic livestock use.

Working Across Fences

Few issues in wild sheep conservation are more sensitive than interactions with domestic livestock. Pathogen transmission and subsequent respiratory disease from domestic sheep and goats remains the single greatest biological threat to bighorns. Launched in 2002, Wyoming’s Domestic Sheep/Bighorn Sheep Interaction Working Group brings together agricultural producers, wool growers, Wyoming Game and Fish, federal agencies, and Wyoming WSF to address those conflicts directly. The group meets face-to-face, often for full-day sessions, to work through problems that cannot be solved from a distance.

That collaboration has led to practical, sometimes controversial solutions. One recent example involved funding a $10,000 double-fencing project for a domestic sheep producer in the Pedro Mountains. While some initially questioned why a wild sheep organization would fund fencing for domestic livestock, the project reduced disease risk, built goodwill, and opened the door for future habitat access. “If we want these landscapes to work for everyone, we have to be willing to sit at the table and invest in solutions that benefit both sides,” Clifford said.

WY WSF Fence Project 1

WY WSF Fence Project 2

WY WSF Fence Project 3

WY WSF Fence Project 4

Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation: A Broad Approach to Conservation

Founded in 1983, the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation (Wyoming WSF) is governed by an all-volunteer board and is powered by members who contribute time and funds. Beyond Grant-in-Aid support for habitat and research, the chapter offers hands-on volunteer opportunities in the field, from installing water developments and modifying wildlife-friendly fencing to helping with restoration projects across Wyoming’s ranges.

Education and mentorship are also core priorities. Through youth outreach programs, partnerships with organizations such as the National Bighorn Sheep Center, and events like Camp Bighorn, the foundation connects new generations to wildlife biology and conservation principles.

These avenues provide not only learning, but ongoing engagement and mentorship for young hunters and outdoor enthusiasts.

Wyoming WSF also provides technical input on federal and state land-use plans, ensuring wild sheep needs are considered early in the planning process.
A permanent conservation fund provides financial continuity, allowing long-term investment in wild sheep and their habitat and inspiring future conservationists, regardless of annual fundraising fluctuations.

Grant-in-Aid, Partnerships, and Shared Responsibility

Between 2005 and 2025, the chapter directed more than $2.1 million in Grant-in-Aid funding to projects across Wyoming, supporting both statewide initiatives and county-level efforts tailored to local needs. Habitat restoration accounts for the largest share of grant investment, roughly a third of total funding. Population monitoring and management account for another significant portion of funding. Grant-in-Aid support also extends beyond habitat and research. Education and outreach are recognized as essential investments in long-term conservation, particularly as participation in hunting and wildlife management continues to change. Programs such as Camp Bighorn, operated by the National Bighorn Sheep Center in Dubois, Wyoming, along with Wyoming WSF’s partnerships with the Center and youth-focused activities at chapter events, introduce young people to the biology of wild sheep, conservation challenges, and management principles. These efforts emphasize understanding rather than advocacy, helping participants see how science, habitat management, and regulated harvest fit together within modern wildlife conservation.

One example often cited within the organization involves a young girl who drew a ewe tag, an experience that challenged long-held assumptions within her own family about ewe harvest. Through preparation, time afield, and engagement with the biological rationale behind the hunt, perspectives shifted. The experience underscored how education grounded in firsthand experience can reshape understanding and inspire young people to pursue a lifestyle of hunting and conservation.

Collaboration underpins all this work. Wyoming WSF partners with wildlife agencies, landowners, agricultural producers, conservation organizations, and federal land managers to implement projects that no single group could accomplish on its own. “Wyoming WSF does a great job of engaging numerous aspects of wild sheep conservation and has had a tremendous impact on the resource as well as hunters in the state,” said Gray N. Thornton, Wild Sheep Foundation President & CEO.

Whether improving habitat, funding research, or supporting education, these partnerships reflect the shared responsibility required to conserve wild sheep across Wyoming’s working landscapes.

A Legacy Still In Motion

Later that day, as shadows stretch back across the same limestone rim, the ewe first seen at dawn climbs toward the narrow shelf where the morning began, the same lamb, a young ram, still close at her side. He lags briefly, then slips back alongside her at the familiar break in the rock, following the route she has shown him since his first weeks on the slope. In time, with space to roam and the country holding together beneath him, he may grow into one of the heavy-horned rams Wyoming’s mountains are known for.

Nothing about the hillside draws attention to the years of planning and restraint that shaped it. The ground holds. The route remains open. The risk is manageable. That is the measure of success in Wyoming’s wild sheep conservation.

Each decade brings new challenges, but Wyoming WSF’s role remains steady: providing stability, funding, and support so wild sheep management stays proactive rather than reactive. Whether restoring habitat, funding research, or engaging in policy discussions, the organization operates with a long view measured in generations, not seasons. The continued presence of that ewe and the young ram learning how to use the country she knows reflects decades of effort by the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, its members, and its partners. When conservation is done well, it creates conditions for animals not just to persist, but to mature, disperse, and reach their full potential.

The presence of bighorn sheep in Wyoming is not accidental. It is the result of sustained commitment, carried out through collaboration with biologists, landowners, and agencies dedicated to keeping wild sheep where they belong—in the wilds of Wyoming.

Wyoming bighorns collared

Bighorn sheep lounging in the red rocks of Wyoming.

Grant-in-Aid, Partnerships, and Shared Responsibility

Between 2005 and 2025, the chapter directed more than $2.1 million in Grant-in-Aid funding to projects across Wyoming, supporting both statewide initiatives and county-level efforts tailored to local needs. Habitat restoration accounts for the largest share of grant investment, roughly a third of total funding. Population monitoring and management account for another significant portion of funding. Grant-in-Aid support also extends beyond habitat and research. Education and outreach are recognized as essential investments in long-term conservation, particularly as participation in hunting and wildlife management continues to change. Programs such as Camp Bighorn, operated by the National Bighorn Sheep Center in Dubois, Wyoming, along with Wyoming WSF’s partnerships with the Center and youth-focused activities at chapter events, introduce young people to the biology of wild sheep, conservation challenges, and management principles. These efforts emphasize understanding rather than advocacy, helping participants see how science, habitat management, and regulated harvest fit together within modern wildlife conservation.

One example often cited within the organization involves a young girl who drew a ewe tag, an experience that challenged long-held assumptions within her own family about ewe harvest. Through preparation, time afield, and engagement with the biological rationale behind the hunt, perspectives shifted. The experience underscored how education grounded in firsthand experience can reshape understanding and inspire young people to pursue a lifestyle of hunting and conservation.

Collaboration underpins all of this work. Wyoming WSF partners with wildlife agencies, landowners, agricultural producers, conservation organizations, and federal land managers to implement projects that no single group could accomplish on its own. “Wyoming WSF does a great job of engaging numerous aspects of wild sheep conservation and has had a tremendous impact on the resource as well as hunters in the state,” said Gray N. Thornton, Wild Sheep Foundation President & CEO.

Whether improving habitat, funding research, or supporting education, these partnerships reflect the shared responsibility required to conserve wild sheep across Wyoming’s working landscapes.

A Legacy Still In Motion

Later that day, as shadows stretch back across the same limestone rim, the ewe first seen at dawn climbs toward the narrow shelf where the morning began, the same lamb, a young ram, still close at her side. He lags briefly, then slips back alongside her at the familiar break in the rock, following the route she has shown him since his first weeks on the slope. In time, with space to roam and the country holding together beneath him, he may grow into one of the heavy-horned rams Wyoming’s mountains are known for.

Nothing about the hillside draws attention to the years of planning and restraint that shaped it. The ground holds. The route remains open. The risk is manageable. That is the measure of success in Wyoming’s wild sheep conservation.

Each decade brings new challenges, but Wyoming WSF’s role remains steady: providing stability, funding, and support so wild sheep management stays proactive rather than reactive. Whether restoring habitat, funding research, or engaging in policy discussions, the organization operates with a long view measured in generations, not seasons. The continued presence of that ewe and the young ram learning how to use the country she knows reflects decades of effort by the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, its members, and its partners. When conservation is done well, it creates the conditions for animals not just to persist, but to mature, disperse, and reach their full potential.

The presence of bighorn sheep in Wyoming is not accidental. It is the result of sustained commitment, carried out through collaboration with biologists, landowners, and agencies dedicated to keeping wild sheep where they belong—in the wilds of Wyoming.

Contributing Author: Chester Moore is an award-winning wildlife journalist, wildlife photographer, and lifelong hunter from Texas. He operates the Higher Calling Wildlife® blog and podcast and contributes to many outdoors publications.